California Legislative Native American Caucus Floor Ceremony

5th Annual California Indian Day Cultural Awareness Event at the Capitol

Join us this year in celebrating our inaugural class of honorees comprised of tribal citizens in California making a positive impact and effectuating significant change for Native American Communities throughout California. This recognition will be attributed them at 1:00 PM during the Assembly Floor Session on August 5th. This year's class of Honorees for 2024 are as follows:

                Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena  In 2024, Lynn "Nay" Valbuena was elected to a sixth term as Chairwoman for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.  For nearly 50 years, she has held appointed and elected positions within the Tribe, including Vice Chairwoman, Secretary/Treasurer, and other positions in tribal government.  For five years, Ms. Valbuena served on the Constitution Working Group and was a signer of the new Constitution adopted by the Tribe in 2021.  She is currently serving her 29th year as Chairwoman for the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations.  She has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the 2024 Lifetime Leadership Award from the Tribal Leadership Council, a national group of emerging tribal leaders.  Lynn is a mother of two children, Rich and Sabrina, and a grandmother to five grandchildren. 

                William Franklin, Sr.  The first-ever Native American monument erected in Capitol Park in 2023 bears the likeness of the late Miwok tribal elder, William Franklin, Sr., who passed on May 2, 2000.  This respected tribal leader’s likeness was chosen to represent the Miwok and Nisenan tribes whose ancestral lands make up present-day Sacramento.  Located in Capitol Park near 13th and L Streets, the bronze statue is eight feet tall, depicting Mr. Franklin in traditional Miwok tribal regalia.  Formerly a site representing the historical trauma Miwok, Nisenan, and Native American peoples have had to overcome, Mr. Franklin’s legacy is a just replacement standing in valor and pride, embodying resilience and dignity, and keeping a watchful eye on the State Capitol.

                Morning Star Gali  A citizen of the Pit River Tribe, she is the founder and director of the nonprofit organization, Indigenous Justice.  Its mission is raising awareness and visibility for Native American communities by coordinating support of indigenous-led policies through cultural, spiritual, academic, and political advocacy by Native Americans and their allies.  Ms. Gali and Indigenous Justice have advocated for issues dealing with Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, climate and gender justice, and sacred site protection.  She is a tireless advocate for tribal communities.

                Taralyn Ipiña  A citizen of the Yurok tribe from the villages of Morek and Pek-tah along the Klamath River, she serves as the first Chief Operations Officer of the Yurok Tribe.  Ms. Ipiña has her bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University, and completed an executive education program at Harvard Business School.  She leads her tribe’s executive branch, which includes the Yurok Tribal Council.  Ms. Ipiña has advised various chairpersons and council members for nearly two decades.  She, along with her tribe, spearheaded the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Day of Action at the State Capitol in 2022, along with other legislative advocacy efforts.  Her efforts effectuated positive change in Native American communities across California.  Today, she is away at her cultural ceremony. 

                Alice Piper  In Piper vs. Big Pine, Ms. Piper initiated integration for Native American students at Big Pine High School in Big Pine, CA in 1923.  Ms. Piper sued the district for the right to attend on the grounds that her 14th Amendment rights had been violated.  The California Supreme Court unanimously ruled in her favor on the same day that President Grover Cleveland signed the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.  On June 2, 2014, the 90th anniversary of her victory, the Big Pine Paiute Tribe and Big Pine Unified School District commemorated her landmark case with the unveiling of a statue on the property of the same school and grounds where she was originally denied her rights.  Today, the majority of the students who attend Big Pine High School are Native American. 

This event is open to the public. If you wish to RSVP an Assembly Gallery seat please email Native American Caucus Consultant Linda Sacks at linda.sacks@asm.ca.gov. Capacity limit will be applied.